


Inside Jokes

by JessJesstheBest



Category: Supernatural
Genre: AU, Asexual Castiel (Supernatural), Asexual Character, Asexual SPN mini Bang 2020, Asexual Spn Mini Bang, BECAUSE THAT MOVIE FUCKING DESERVES IT, Being super mean to Frozen II, Computer Programmer Dean, Established Relationship, Human AU, M/M, Tattoo Artist Castiel (Supernatural), kind of, quarantine fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-03
Updated: 2020-10-03
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:53:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,907
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26481454
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JessJesstheBest/pseuds/JessJesstheBest
Summary: “Come here,” Dean said, before he could talk himself out of it. Before he could convince himself Cas wouldn’t want to. “Quarantine with me.”Cas’s breath hitched. “What?”Or after only a couple dates, Dean and Cas decide to quarantine together. Because gays be like
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester
Comments: 37
Kudos: 177
Collections: Asexual Supernatural Mini Bang 2020





	Inside Jokes

Dean took a moment to smile down at his phone before he answered, revelling in the thrill of seeing that name pop up on his screen.

“Hey, Cas,” he answered, his smile carrying into his voice.

“Hello, Dean,” Cas said, and it was clear he was smiling, too. His gravelly voice was warm and affectionate and Dean felt safe and so  _ so _ lucky. But then Cas cleared his throat, and Dean immediately panicked.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, too worried to think if he sounded crazy or not.

There was a soft laugh on the other side and Cas answered. “Nothing’s wrong.”

Dean had a good four seconds to feel stupid and embarassed about over-reacting before Cas sighed and corrected himself. “Well, there is something.”

“What is it?” Dean said, skipping right over smugness at being right and straight back into worry.

“One of Hannah’s coworkers has a fever.”

Dean’s entire body went cold. Hannah was Cas’s roommate. A fever didn’t used to be the end of the world but now… it was kind of the end of the world. Pandemic. Isolation. Entire countries cancelled. And Cas already had a shitty immune system.

If Hannah got sick, Cas was doomed.

“Cas, you gotta get out of there.”

“Dean, where am I supposed to go? My parents’?”

Dean was shaking his head, though Cas couldn’t see it. “No, we’re supposed to be staying off the highways. You might get a ticket. And, well….”

Dean didn’t know how to say that Cas couldn’t really afford to pay for a ticket right now. It’s not like Cas didn’t know. He knew he didn’t have a job right now. No one did. 

Except for Dean.

“Come here,” Dean said, before he could talk himself out of it. Before he could convince himself Cas wouldn’t want to. “Quarantine with me.”

Cas’s breath hitched. “What?”

Dean barrelled through, his face heating up, but determined to say what he needed to say. “I know we’ve only been on a couple dates and we don’t really know each other like that but I can work from home and I’m still getting paid enough to feed both of us for a couple weeks and I already have groceries getting delivered so neither of us would have to leave the house and you can’t let your roommate get you sick and really I wouldn’t mind the company and I have a guest room so there wouldn’t be any funny business unless you wanted funny business and–”

“Dean!” Cas interrupted, half-laughing again. Dean took a breath, letting himself get embarrassed finally. “Are you sure?” Cas asked, his voice hesitant, but hopeful.

Dean was nodding, his embarrassment flooded out by relief. “ _ Yes _ , Cas, I would really like it if you stayed with me until this whole thing is over. Please.”

Dean heard Cas swallow at his please. Dean wasn’t sorry about it. He and Cas had only known each other a short time but if Dean could find a way to take care of him, he was going to do it. He knew himself well enough by now to know he wouldn’t find peace unless he knew Cas was safe.

Cas let out another sigh, sounding at once resigned and fond. “Let me pack a bag.”

Dean pulled up to Cas’s apartment, the impala rumbling loudly as it idled.

They’d all been instructed to limit their time outside the home, but Dean thought that taking a quick trip to pick up his boyfriend (maybe boyfriend? guy he was seeing? Should they have worked out their labels before deciding to quarantine together?) could be filed under essential travel. And, even if it wasn’t, Dean hadn’t had nearly enough time yet to show off his baby. If he and Cas were going to date, he needed to love Baby, too.

Cas’s look of appreciation as he took in the car made Dean’s heart do a funny little jump in his chest. Definitely a good sign.

Cas opened the back door of the impala and dropped his duffle bag on the seat, bringing his laptop bag with him to the front.

He closed the door, turning to smile at Dean. “Hello, Dean.”

“Hey, Cas.” Dean smiled back, leaning in for a hello kiss.

They’d kissed before. They’d seen each other a few times by now: it wasn’t new. But even that second of contact lit Dean on fire. He hummed a bit, his ears red, as he pulled back.

He cleared his throat. “You got what you need? Should we stop somewhere?”

Cas hummed back. “I have what I might need for two weeks. Just let me know how much it is for my half of the groceries.”

Dean waved him off. “I’m not taking your money, Cas.”

Cas frowned. “I will be eating the food, Dean: I should help pay for it.”

Dean waved him off again. “Don’t even worry about it. I like cooking and it’s better when I can share it.” Dean shrugged. “Just clean up the dishes and we’re square.”

Cas’s face scrunched but he did let loose a small smile. “So this was all an elaborate ploy for you to get a free maid.”

“I’ve even got the outfit for you,” Dean said, turning to look at him for a moment to wink.

Cas snorted, shaking his head, and Dean turned back to the road.

Dean pulled smoothly into his parking space in the basement garage and they took the elevator up, chatting amiably. Cas had picked him up here before, so it wasn’t like Cas was seeing the place for the first time.

But then they were walking into Dean’s apartment and Dean was hit with the realization that, oh yeah, Cas was going to be  _ living _ there. With him.

Which seemed like much bigger of a deal now that they were there.

Dean cleared his throat. “Guest room’s through here.” He gestured, awkwardly. “You can set your stuff up in the bathroom, too. It’s pretty much yours: I have my own in my room.”

Cas nodded, stiltedly. “Yes. Thank you.” And he ducked down the hall to his room.

Dean took a breath and wondered if it was too early to start drinking.

Whatever, it was quarantine. Nothing mattered. He went to the fridge to crack a beer.

He hesitated before grabbing a second. It would be polite, right? To open one for Cas, too?

He couldn’t remember if Cas drank beer. Or if Cas drank period. He was sure they talked about it but Dean had gotten so distracted by Cas’s rumbling laugh and his biting wit and his strong but delicate hands.

It was hitting him again that Cas was going to be  _ living _ here. How well did they even know each other? He didn’t know Cas’s favorite cleaning music or how he took his coffee or if he’d mind Dean’s tv shows or the drinks in his fridge. Did he like nonfat milk? Did he want a beer?

Dean could always ask. But he didn’t want to interrupt if Cas was–

And then Cas walked into the kitchen and spotted him standing in the half-open fridge.

Dean glanced at him, his shoulder tense. “Beer?”

Cas nodded. “Please.”

Dean smiled, the tension melting, and he took another bottle out of the fridge and opened it for him.

Cas took the bottle delicately, smiling his small smile, but his eyebrows looked regretful.

“Sorry,” Dean winced. “Leinenkugel is all I have.”

Cas shook his head. “No, its not that, it’s just….” Cas grimaces. “Can I have a glass? I don’t like drinking out of bottles. It knocks against my teeth.”

“Oh,” Dean said, relieved again. “Yeah, man, of course.” He turned to his cabinet and pulled out a special Leinenkugel commemorative pint glass. “I actually won this at a bar once but I never fucking use it. This can be your official beer glass while you’re here.”

Cas grinned gratefully, taking the glass and [ smiling at the honeycomb pattern on it. ](https://mercari-images.global.ssl.fastly.net/photos/m25938476659_1.jpg?1588513337) “Thank you, Dean.” He tilted the glass and put the mouth of the bottle against the side, carefully and expertly pouring his beer. 

Dean whistled. “Damn, Cas, that’s some technique.”

Cas blushed. “I went to Ireland on spring break in college. I’m Guinness certified in beer pouring.”

“No shit!” Dean crowed, barking in laughter. “That’s awesome, man!”

Cas gave Dean a small, blushing smile, but nodded his acceptance, taking a demure but firm sip of his beer. He made a satisfied sound with it as he pulled away.

Dean grinned. “If you’ve got nothing else, you wanna see what’s on Netflix?”

Cas smiled back. “Of course, Dean. Show me a typical day in casa de Winchester.”

They watched Cutthroat Kitchen which was not one of Dean’s typical shows and also wasn’t on Netflix but they were just starting out here. He didn’t want Cas to know yet how weird his taste was. He could break out the anime and the trashy reality shows a little bit later. For now, a cooking show with bdsm master Alton Brown was safe.

Dean made Stroganoff for dinner after watching a contestant make a travesty with re-hydrated beef jerky and baked beans instead of mushrooms. Cas argued half-heartedly that he should do some of the cooking if he was going to be mooching off of Dean but immediately dropped those protests as soon as he took a bite of his dinner.

“I’ll clean your  _ toilets _ if it means you’re cooking for me every day,” Cas told him through a mouthful which is the most sloppy Dean had seen him yet.

Dean grinned, swallowing his own bite of food. “I’ll show you where my cleaning supplies are. Go nuts.”

Cas narrowed his eyes like he was going to accuse Dean that this was his plan all along again but instead he took another bite of stroganoff and moaned around the noodles.

Dean enjoyed watching him eat, but not in a weird way. At least he hoped it wasn’t weird. He just always liked when people appreciated his cooking and Cas was easy enough to look at to begin with. Tattoos covering his arms, his stretched ears, his strong hands, dwarfing the fork he was holding. He’d noticed the hands before but it bore repeating.

No, Dean wasn’t being weird.

He coughed into his fist. “So how long do you think the shop can go being closed like this?”

Cas shrugged, not looking up from his plate. “Not like we have a choice. We’re not an essential business and it’s not safe to be that close to people now, anyway.”

Dean frowned, regretting bringing it up. “Is it bankruptcy bad?”

Cas shrugged again but his shoulder had gotten tense. “Not sure. It’s not my shop so I’m not extremely confident in details. But I hope not.”

Dean nodded, looking back at his food.

“You’re a talented artist, Cas,” Dean told him, making eye contact with some mushrooms. “You’ll have so many people begging for tattoos by the time this is over. I’m sure you’ll be fine.”

Dean felt a kick under the table and looked up to meet Cas’s eyes. Cas was looking at him extremely softly, his foot coming up to hook with Dean’s.

“Thank you, Dean,” he said and Dean just smiled.

They turned back to their food.

They fell into a routine.

Dean still had to work– coding in his office which was really just a desk pushed up against the living room wall. Cas didn't really bother him – content to read or clean or generally be quiet and non-intrusive. Dean started out wearing headphones because he used music to keep him zen and focus while he worked, but Cas’s little puttering sounds and the atmosphere of having another person living around him made Dean reconsider. It was also nice to not feel like his ears were being squished against his head by headphones when he coded for hours at a time.

Cas would break him out of his work haze for lunch most days. That first work day, Cas didn’t bother him at all, but when he realized Dean had barely gotten up to drink water or piss, he took it upon himself to be Dean’s personal break lieutenant. He made him stand up every couple hours and walk around the room to get blood flow circulating.

Those first few lunches, Cas tried to prepare lunch for Dean himself. He made sandwiches and reheated canned soup. And none of it was  _ terrible _ but Dean really preferred his own cooking so he made Cas promise to interrupt him when he got hungry so Dean could feed them both.

Cas was only too happy to be fed. He prepared the coffee, washed the dishes, did the laundry, re-organized the spice cabinet, scrubbed the grout in the fucking bathroom, but he was just not a fan of cooking. Dean supposed everyone had their things.

Cas was clearly slowly losing his mind with the cleaning, though. How many times can someone completely defrost the freezer, anyway?

At the end of the first week, Dean took pity on him. “Do you need an outlet, Cas?”

“ _ Desperately _ ,” Cas admitted, leaning his weight on the back of Dean’s chair.

Dean leaned into him back, enjoying the closeness. 

“How about this,” Dean offered. “I think I have markers for my niece somewhere in the kitchen–”

“Second drawer next to the fridge,” Cas interrupted, efficiently. “Several packs. I organized them yesterday.”

Dea chuckled, shaking his head. “Yeah, those. Go get them.”

Cas nodded, making his way to the kitchen, and Dean stripped his shirt off.

Cas stopped dead in the doorway, four packs of crayola markers clutched tightly in his hands. “Uh–”

“Relax,” Dean told him, chucking his shirt behind him so it landed somewhere on the couch. “I still have like two hours of work here. But I figured, while I do that, I might give you a chance to work on some skin again.”

Cas’s grip didn’t loosen on the markers. He just watched Dean as Dean turned his desk chair around so he was straddling it backwards, his chest to the backrest and his hands back to hovering above the keyboard.

“See?” Dean told him, gesturing from his naked back to the computer. “I can work. And you can work. Give me the gnarliest tattoo you can with a 24 pack of tropical neon.”

Cas blinked, a startled laugh escaping him. “These are clearly four six-packs of varying themes.”

Dean waved a hand, dismissively. “Whatever, just get over here.”

Cas made his way over, and Dean turned away from him back to his computer to make Cas more comfortable.

In all honesty, he hadn’t thought this concept through. He just knew Cas was bored and probably feeling extremely pent up. He’d seen Cas scribbling in a sketchbook sometimes, the scratch of the graphite a comforting background noise to Dean’s coding. The click of the keyboard and the rasp of a pencil worked in a kind of symphony of domestic home life.

But it was different from tattooing and Dean knew that. Well, not  _ knew _ knew – Dean’s only experience with tattooing was a small chest piece he’d gotten with his brother – but it was different.

Dean and Cas had been plenty close over the last few days. They were still sleeping in different rooms, but they curled together on the couch in the evenings. They made out, soft and tender, in Dean’s bed before Cas excused himself to sleep. It’s not that Cas was hurting for contact: Dean thought he was probably just craving skin.

Which was a weird and gross way to phrase that but Dean was just an observer here.

So he thought, he didn’t have a tattoo machine on hand but he had an empty back. Drawing on skin had to be better than drawing on paper.

And if they both hated this, it wasn’t like they were wasting time. They were a week into this adventure. They had at least another week before Cas was out of here. Plenty of time.

Dean felt Cas move behind him. He checked his email to distract himself until Cas really got into it. Then he’d get back to coding.

“Any requests?” Cas asked, the sounds of markers being uncapped and recapped punctuating his question.

Dean shrugged. “Something cool.”

The low rumbling laugh that still made Dean’s skin tingle sounded from behind him. “I think I can manage that.”

The first time Dean felt the cold contact of a marker on his back he jumped. And then he felt like an idiot because he  _ knew _ it was coming and, dammit, he hoped he didn’t mess things up.

Cas patted him on the shoulder. “Sorry. I should have warned you. I’m just testing the colors against your skin first: I want to see how they’ll look.”

“Oh, okay,” Dean said, knowing his back was turning red from embarrassment. That would definitely screw up the colors. 

Cas patted him again. “If this will be too distracting Dean, we don't have to–”

“No, come on,” Dean interrupted, turning in his chair. Cas was sitting on the edge of his automon, his markers spread out on a kitchen chair next to him. How had he brought that in here without Dean noticing? “I can handle it. Wouldn’t have offered otherwise.”

He leaned forward, offering a kiss. A kind of comfort and invitation and a soothing gesture all at once.

Cas took it, smiling his small smile.

They kissed for longer than Dean meant to but they were both happier afterward so Dean couldn’t say he was mad about it.

Cas was still smiling when he pulled back, and he moved the black ring from the middle finger of his right hand to his left hand in an anticipatory kind of way.

He pushed Dean by the shoulder so he was facing his computer again. Dean hummed, agreeably, and turned back to his work.

The first cold press of a marker surprised him again but he didn’t jump, instead holding himself deliberately still. He was conscious of his breathing and how the expanding of his lungs could mess up Cas’s linework or shading or whatever he was doing.

But then Dean reminded himself that this was  _ literally _ Cas’s job. Dean was doing this because Cas had been suffering from not working with a breathing canvas for too long. Cas could handle him breathing.

So Dean breathed and got back to work, the soft cool brush of ink and felt tips fading into the back of his consciousness as he typed numbers and symbols and formulas into his program.

Dean didn’t hear the final click of a marker, he was too invested in his work, but the feeling of Cas’s rough palm against the side of his neck brought him back into himself. He’d moved his ring back to his right hand.

Dean finished his line of code and went to turn in his chair, completely forgetting he was sitting on it the wrong way and almost falling off.

“Whoa!” Cas laughed, catching Dean by his biceps but making sure not to touch his back. “Are your legs asleep?”

Dean went to put pressure on them and found that, yes, his legs had fallen asleep. 

“Not too bad,” he lied, trying to stomp blood back into them as discreetly as possible. “You done with your tattoo, then?”

Cas nodded, his smile a small but proud thing. “I got pictures, too, while you were still working. I’d like to take better ones with you posing, though, if you don’t mind.”

Dean raised an eyebrow, a smirk coming to his mouth. “Like sexy poses?”

Cas rolled his eyes. “You’re going to find that extremely funny when you see what I’ve drawn on you.”

Dean made a noise of curious confusion but Cas just smiled, guiding Dean gently to the balcony.

It wasn’t too late in the day but it was only halfway through March still so it was twilight at 5pm. The lighting on the balcony was a little dreamy and a little romantic. Dean wished he knew what was inked onto his back so he could know if they were going to have a charming date moment or if Cas was making fun of him.

Cas instructed him to stand straight up, his palms resting lightly on the riling. Then to lean with his elbows against the railing, looking out over the neighborhood. Then to reach up with his right hand to rub at the back of his neck. Then to turn and look at Cas over his shoulder.

“Won’t this mess up the drawing? Stretch it out or whatever?”

Cas nodded, eyes on the screen of his phone, face serious. “Yes. All the pictures of the actual image I’ve gotten already.” He looked up at Dean, smirking but a little shy. “These pictures are just for me.”

Dean felt himself blush, painting a sunset on whatever image was on his back. He kicked one foot up on a patio chair, popping his ass out and flexing his thighs. “This a better picture?”

Cas laughed but snapped a photo. “This is less sexy than you think.”

Dean frowned. “Because of me or whatever you did to me?”

Cas just grinned.

Dean groaned. “Can I look now?”

Cas stepped aside gesturing inside so Dean could run to the bathroom.

Dean did, twisting in the mirror so he could get a look. He couldn’t get a complete picture from this angle but from what it looked like, it was that white haired princess and her annoying snowman.

“Cas!” Dean bellowed. The sound of Cas cackling floated through the apartment. Dean rushed back to him, biting back his own laugh and trying to look angry. “Cas, did you draw Frozen on me?”

Cas swallowed down his laughter but his voice was tight when he answered. “You wanted something cool. What’s cooler than being cool?”

Dean stood stunned for a second but then threw his head back in a laugh. He pushed forward, still laughing to shove at Cas’s shoulder, slapping weakly at his chest. “You asshole! You fuckin dick!”

Cas curled in on himself, giggling, and threw himself into Dean’s naked torso, clutching him as he laughed.

Dean buried his head in Cas’s hair, laughing, but mostly breathing him in. This had been a good idea. This was the happiest he’d seen Cas since he’d moved in.

“Can I see the pictures?” Dean asked. “I couldn’t get a good look in the mirror.”

Cas hiccuped another laugh but stepped away from Dean’s hold, handing him his phone.

The drawing was actually excellent, dynamic and colorful even giving the limited scope of markers Dean had had available. Dean was sure Cas had to have used a reference. There’s no way he knew what these characters looked like without one.

He scrolled over to see the sexy one and saw that, yes, he did look stupid. He smiled, not the least bit annoyed.

“This looks really good, Cas,” he told him, nudging him with his elbow. “Even if you were making fun of me.”

“I wasn’t  _ really _ making fun of you.” Cas said, his eyes shining with mirth. “I did enjoy the movie.”

“Yeah?” Dean asked, a little surprised. “I watched it once, with Sammy and the kids. Sadie was so excited about the second one.”

“I haven’t seen it,” Cas said, scrunching up his nose.

“Me neither.” Dean shrugged. “We could watch it now.”

Cas raised his eyebrows. “You’d pay to rent a Disney movie?”

“Don’t have to,” Dean winked. “I have Disney+. It came free with my phone bill or something.” He shrugged. “I just keep it for the kids.”

Cas snorted. “I’m sure.”

Dean rolled his eyes. Yeah, he also liked Finding Nemo. He wasn’t ever going to apologize for loving that fish.

They realized they hadn’t eaten and didn’t particularly want to make anything so Dean took some leftovers and put together sandwiches for them to eat on the couch in front of the movie.

“Sandwiches are underrated,” Cas said, gratefully accepting his plate from Dean. There was also a side of kettle cooked potato chips which Cas was happily picking through to find the best ones.

“You have never been more right.” Dean told him, taking a huge bite out of his sandwich. It crunched with the apple slices he’s thrown on there with the turkey and bacon. “I could eat a sandwich every goddamn day of my life,” he said, mouth full.

Cas just hummed in agreement.

Dean swallowed, smiling, as he picked up the remote and searched for Frozen II.

Right as it started, Dean could tell he wasn’t going to enjoy this movie.

He watched, attempting to keep an open mind, but there were several moments that made him want to groan aloud or else turn the movie off completely.

He refrained. Cas liked the first movie enough to spend two hours drawing the characters on Dean’s back. Yeah, it was for a joke (and it was a good joke) but that didn’t mean he would appreciate Dean shitting on a movie as they watched it.

He couldn’t completely keep in a groan at the blond guy’s 80’s power ballad (and, honestly,  _ why _ were there so many songs?) but he turned it into a cough when Cas looked over at him.

Some time after the fake-out death and the forced marriage proposal and some bullshit about spirit mail, the movie ended. 

Dean released a long breath and made a noncommittal noise in his throat.

Cas spoke very committal words. “That was shit.”

“OH THANK GOD!” Dean exclaimed, throwing his hand over his eyes. “Oh thank God, Cas, it was so bad. I was so hoping you didn’t like it otherwise we might have had to break up. It was so bad.”

“Break up?” Cas asked, a smile in his voice.

Dean flushed. “Let’s ignore that for now. I need to spend at least twenty minutes shitting on this movie first.”

And shit on it they did.

“ _ Why _ were there so many songs? None of them were good.”

“Disney trying to make as much money as they did with ‘Let It Go’”

“That’s horseshit!”

“Capitalism is the enemy of art.”

“Is that why they had so many new characters too? None of the characters  _ did _ anything!”

“But they will sell so many dolls and look excellent on a lunchbox.”

“HORSE SHIT!”

“And poor Anna! Why did they make her…. like that?”

“And why was the blond guy even  _ there?!?” _

And on it went.

Dean was almost reluctant to wash off the marker on his back in the shower that evening but he thought, hey, that left Cas a blank canvas for tomorrow.

Feeling Cas’s hands on his skin every day was starting to make Dean a little bit crazy.

He and Cas touched. They held hands during meals and snuggled on the couch and they kissed and they played together with teasing shoves bumping shoulders.

But every night, Cas went back to the guest room.

Dean was fine with that. He was fine with whatever Cas wanted. He didn’t want to ask Cas to stay in his bed and sleep with him if that would make Cas uncomfortable.

But no one had ever gotten what they wanted without asking for it.

That wasn’t even a little bit true but Dean was still going for it.

It was halfway through the second week and they were back in Dean’s bed, kissing softly. Dean was lying on his back, his leg propped up and his right hand relaxed on his stomach. Cas was lying horizontally across his chest, his elbow on the bed next to Dean’s head, his hand cupping the back of his neck as they kissed. Dean’s left hand was buried in Cas’s hair, stroking over the skin behind his ear, keeping Cas close. They were twined together at their heads and shoulders but the knees and toes were completely apart.

Dean licked at the corner of Cas’s mouth and Cas hummed pleasantly. Cas used the hand that wasn’t on Dean’s neck to scratch subtly against his chest, pulling at the skin and playing over his collarbone. 

It was all terribly soft and sexy and absolutely blissful. Dean felt so wanted. He could have fallen asleep just like that.

But there came a time, as there always did, when Cas sat up with a sigh, running his hand over his hair and breathing out deeply through his mouth, the blood moving from his face back to the rest of his limbs.

He looked absolutely unbelievable.

“Stay?” Dean asked. Simple. A small request.

Cas looked at him with naked longing, torn and hopeful. His eyes raked over Dean’s mussed hair and flushed face, the collar of his shirt where Cas’s hand had just been, stretched to show how far the flush went. He didn’t look at Dean’s lap, which Dean was grateful for. That was Dean’s problem: nothing for Cas to worry about.

Dean sat up, scooching back on the bed for a marginally more dignified posture. “No funny business,” Dean said, echoing what he’d first said when asking Cas to move in with him. “I could just use the company.”

Cas’s lips twitched, but his eyebrows were still furrowed in concern.

“I don’t want to lead you on, Dean,” Cas said, not breaking eye contact like Dean would have. “I don’t want to make this harder for you.”

“I’m not asking for sex, Cas,” Dean said, trying not to sound exasperated. But he was and he did. “I know you don’t want that. You told me on our first date. There was never any leading on. I haven’t been led anywhere.” He held out his hand, palm down, in an offer for Cas to take it so Dean could pull him back in. “I don’t need sex anyway. I just want to sleep with you, If you’re cool with that.”

Cas was nodding even before Dean was done speaking. “I am. I do. Want to, I mean. Just–” He glanced at the door then back to Dean. He held his hand up as if to block Dean from leaving. “Let me go change, don’t move.”

“Can I not change?” Dean asked, chuckling quietly.

Cas’s face twisted, like Dean was really putting him out with this request. Then he sighed and lowered his hand. “Fine. But don’t touch your hair, You look very cute right now and I want you to stay like that.”

“I’m always cute,” Dean said, but he was blushing and he could tell. It made Cas smile, brightly, and lean back in to kiss Dean.

“Beautiful,” he whispered against Dean’s mouth before pulling away and flying down the hall to the guest room.

Dean took a moment to let out a shaky breath and then he jumped out of bed, shucking his jeans and his shirt and speeding into the bathroom to brush his teeth and toss his underwear in the hamper, pulling on a fresh pair of flannel PJ pants.

He had only just got back into bed – beneath the covers this time, when Cas came back, his hair wet and his skin pink from the shower. 

“Look how cute and soft you are,” Dean said, reaching for Cas like a toddler reaching for a teddy bear.

Cas laughed under his breath, tugging idly at the oversized ACDC t-shirt he was wearing over his boxers. “Dean–”

“Hug me first.”

Cas rolled his eyes but crawled on the bed to give Dean a hug.

Dean tried to sink them further into the bed so they could do a Real Snuggle but Cas pulled away looking guilty.

“I don’t like to snuggle while I’m sleeping,” he admitted, with a wince. “I want to touch you. Like… be pushed together. I want to  _ feel _ you next to me but I don’t like holding or being held.” He swallowed, glancing sway before looking back at Dean. “Is that okay?”

Dean allowed himself one second for his world to collapse and his dreams to die before pulling himself back together. “Of course that’s okay.”

It was clear from Cas’s expression he’d read Dean’s momentary grief on his face. “Dean–”

“No, Cas, I mean it,” Dean said, trying very hard to mean it and mostly succeeding. “You shouldn’t have to put up with my clingy ass if you don’t like it.”

“No, I love your clingy ass!” Cas said, jerking back slightly when he used the l-word but then barreling on through it like it didn’t happen. “I like when we cuddle on the couch and I enjoy hugging you immensely – you give really great hugs – it’s just when I’m sleeping. I can’t stop being conscious of it when I’m cuddling someone and that makes getting to sleep really hard.”

Cas moved up the bed, sitting against the headrest and gently pulling Dean into his chest, his arm across Dean’s broad shoulders.

“This,” Cas said with a sigh, bending down to kiss Dean’s head. “I love this. But I can’t sleep like this.”

He scooted back, sliding down the bed and pulling Dean down with him so they were both lying flat. Then he turned on his side and twined his legs with Dean’s. “This is fine,” he told him, voice soft.He reached up to grab Dean’s hand, kissing his knuckles, and laying their clasped hands on the pillow. “And this is fine.” He looked at their hands before looking back up to Dean’s face. “Is this fine?”

Dean watched Cas’s face. Watched the shy but determined way he expressed his needs. Watched for any reason for Dean to think Cas didn’t mean this – that he was just telling Dean what he wanted to hear. He didn’t find it.

Cas played with Dean’s fingers, running his thumb over the nails on his hand. It didn’t feel like he was fidgeting out of nervousness, even though he was clearly nervous. He was just touching to touch.

This wasn’t what Dean had imagined when he’d asked Cas to stay. It wasn’t what Dean thought of when he pictured sharing his bed with someone he cared about. This wasn’t his idea. It’s not what they talked about in movies and books.

But he thought it could be just as good.

He brought Cas’s hand to his lips and kissed his knuckles.

“Be my boyfriend, Cas?”

Cas’s answering smile was blinding.

“Yeah, okay.”

  
  


Dean cracked two beers, pouring one into the Leinenkugel honeycomb commemorative glass. He brought them both to the couch where Cas was waiting, arm sprawled on the headrest, waiting for Dean to curl into him.

Dean did, curling his legs under him and putting all his weight into Cas’s side, sighing in satisfaction. He was careful not to let his shirt rub too much against his back: he didn’t want to ruin the design.

Cas grunted and kissed his head, lightly plucking the class from his fingers and resting it between his thighs. “Two weeks are up,” Cas said, casually, pulling Ru Paul’s Drag Race up on Hulu.

“Mmm,” Dean hummed, taking a long pull of his beer. “Governor said he’s extending the shelter in place rule,” he answered.

“Guess I’m sticking around then.” Cas sighed in a dramatic and put-upon way. “Nothing to be done.”

Dean bit back a smile. “Shame.”

Cas smirked back, kissing Dean on the head. “Shame.”

  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this fic in April, thinking by the time it posted quarantine would be a funny anecdote.  
> WELL LOOK AT US NOW.
> 
> This fic was for the [Asexual Supernatural Mini Bang](https://acespnminibang.tumblr.com/): an event I love doing every year and I imagine I'll keep doing even now that the show is ending.
> 
> Art by the incomparable Mack, a fucking champion of gassing me up, what a guy.  
> He's over at [impmakesart on tumblr](https://impmakesart.tumblr.com/), you can reblog the pieces [here, I love them so much.](https://impmakesart.tumblr.com/post/630914637473464320/inside-jokes)
> 
> Betas were Chelsea and Quinn from the [ProfoundBond Discord Server](https://discord.gg/profoundbond). They popped in almost immediately after I put out the call for help it was so cute.
> 
> And, as always, I am [saywhatjessie](https://saywhatjessie.tumblr.com) on tumblr and you can reblog this fic [here](https://saywhatjessie.tumblr.com/post/630926556324413440/come-here-dean-said-before-he-could-talk) or the official Ace SPN Mini Bang post [here.](https://acespnminibang.tumblr.com/post/630956220252143617/title-inside-jokes-author-jessjessthebest)


End file.
